West Coast is set to be boosted by the return of star duo Josh Kennedy and Tim Kelly for Sunday’s season-opener against Gold Coast.
Champion forward Kennedy (calf) and electric midfielder Kelly (thumb) did not appear during the two pre-season clashes against Fremantle but are primed to take on the Suns.
“Tim and Josh have both effectively ticked off all milestones that our rehab team needed. They need to just get through the week from here,” General Manager – Football Craig Vozzo told westcoasteagles.com.au.
After going down with a minor hamstring strain in last Friday’s training session, skipper Luke Shuey is moving well already and will not be far off playing.
“The bad news with Luke obviously we had the hamstring strain in Friday’s session. The good news is it’s a low-grade hamstring strain on the MRI and it’s certainly at the lower end of the spectrum – we’re hoping it’s a 14 to 21-day process,” Vozzo said.
“The early signs are good. He did some walk-jog today and we’ll look at graduating his build through the next couple of rounds so he’s back as soon as possible.”
Small forward Zac Langdon is also progressing well following a nasty concussion in the AAMI Community Series victory over the Dockers, and the former Giant should be in the mix for his first game in blue and gold.
“Zac is recovering well. In terms of the new protocols and ticking every one of the boxes along the way, our medical staff have assured us everything is on track,” Vozzo said.
“He has to get through the rest of the week in terms of main training for a final tick-off but it’s tracking well for him to be available for selection this week.”
Several other Eagles are not far away from their comebacks, including forward-ruck Bailey Williams (ankle) and Mark Hutchings (knee), while midfield bull Elliot Yeo continues to take steps forward from his osteitis pubis complaint.
“Elliot is good. He will start ramping up some more training I think next Monday and we’re tracking well in the sense of pain levels and what he’s able to cope with,” Vozzo said.
“It’s a slow, frustrating process for Elliot and us but we’re making some decent progress.”
Mobile forward Jake Waterman is also aiming for a return in coming weeks following a lengthy back issue.
“We’re expecting him back in a couple of weeks,” Vozzo said.
“He’ll be knocking the door down to get back with some WAFL minutes as early as possible and we’re really pleased with where he’s at at the moment.”
Injury list:
Jarrod Cameron Groin TBC
Mark Hutchings Knee 4-5 weeks
Tim Kelly Thumb Test
Josh Kennedy Calf Test
Zac Langdon Concussion Test
Luke Shuey Hamstring 2-3 weeks
Daniel Venables Concussion TBC
Jake Waterman Back 2-3 weeks
Bailey Williams Ankle 2-3 weeks
Elliot Yeo Groin TBC
